Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the British citizenship application process is for those who have successfully received a Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa; and how long those people who hold that visa will need to live in the UK to be eligible to apply for British citizenship.

The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa is valid for up to five years. After five years in the UK and, provided they have stayed free of criminality, have supported themselves financially and otherwise complied with the terms of the visa, they will be able to apply for permanent settlement. After a further year they may apply to register as a British citizen, six years’ residence in all.

For citizenship they will need to have been resident in the UK without significant absences in the five year period before making the application, and be of good character. They will not, however, need to pass the Life in the UK test or have an English language qualification in the same way as those applying for naturalisation.